Description
Dimercaprol injection is used to treat arsenic or gold poisoning. This medicine is also used to treat acute mercury poisoning within 2 hours after taking mercury.
Dimercaprol injection is also used to treat acute lead poisoning when used with other medicines (eg, edetate calcium disodium).
This medicine is to be given only by or under the direct supervision of your doctor.
Before Using
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:
Allergies
Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.
Pediatric
Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of dimercaprol injection in children.
Geriatric
No information is available on the relationship of age to the effects of dimercaprol injection in geriatric patients.
Breastfeeding
There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.
Drug Interactions
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are receiving this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Iron
Other Interactions
Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.
Other Medical Problems
The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
- Allergy to peanuts, or history of or
- Heavy metal poisoning (eg, antimony, bismuth, cadmium, iron) or
- Heavy metal poisoning (eg, lead, mercury), chronic or
- Liver disease or
- Selenium poisoning—Should not be used in patients with these conditions.
- Anuria (not able to pass urine) or
- Kidney disease (eg, acute renal failure) or
- Oliguria (decrease in amount of urine)—Use is not recommended in patients with these conditions.
- Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency (genetic disorder affecting red blood cells) or
- Kidney disease—Use with caution. May make these conditions worse.
Proper Use
A doctor or other trained health professional will give you this medicine in a hospital. This medicine is given as a shot into a muscle.
Your doctor may also give you other medicines (eg, allergy medicine) to help prevent unwanted effects.
Precautions
It is very important that your doctor checks your progress at regular visits to make sure that this medicine is working properly. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.
Do not take iron-containing products during treatment with this medicine. If you are taking iron-containing products, wait at least 24 hours after the last dose of this medicine.
Check with your doctor right away if you have agitation, blood in the urine, coma, confusion, decreased urine output, depression, dizziness, headache, irritability, lethargy, muscle twitching, nausea, rapid weight gain, seizures, stupor, swelling of the face, ankles, or hands, or unusual tiredness or weakness. These may be symptoms of serious kidney problems. Your doctor will ask you to drink plenty of fluids so you will pass more urine.
This medicine may cause serious allergic reactions, including angioedema, which can be life-threatening and require immediate medical attention. Check with your doctor right away if you have blurred vision, chest tightness, confusion, cough, dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position, large, hive-like swelling on the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, or sex organs, sweating, trouble breathing, or unusual tiredness or weakness.
This medicine may cause injection site reactions. Check with your doctor right away if you have bleeding, blistering, burning, coldness, discoloration of skin, feeling of pressure, hives, infection, inflammation, itching, lumps, numbness, pain, rash, redness, scarring, soreness, stinging, swelling, tenderness, tingling, ulceration, or warmth at the injection site.
This medicine may increase the risk of blood problems (eg, hemolytic anemia) in patients with G6PD deficiency. Tell your doctor right away if you have stomach or back pain, dark urine, decreased urination, difficulty with breathing, an increased heart rate, tiredness, or yellow eyes or skin after you receive this medicine.
Check with your doctor right away if your child has a fever. This may occur after the second or third dose.
Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.
Side Effects
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
Incidence not known
- Agitation
- back pain
- bleeding, blistering, burning, coldness, discoloration of skin, feeling of pressure, hives, infection, inflammation, itching, lumps, numbness, pain, rash, redness, scarring, soreness, stinging, swelling, tenderness, tingling, ulceration, or warmth at the injection site
- bleeding gums
- blood in the urine
- coma
- confusion
- dark urine
- decreased urine output
- depression
- dizziness
- fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse
- fever
- headache
- increased blood pressure
- irritability
- lethargy
- loss of appetite
- muscle twitching
- nausea
- nosebleeds
- pale skin
- rapid weight gain
- seizures
- sore throat
- stomach pain
- stupor
- swelling of the face, ankles, or hands
- trouble breathing
- unusual tiredness or weakness
- vomiting
- yellow eyes or skin
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
DRG-80010479
